A&M makes a great hire in Kevin Sumlin

It is funny how many e-mail and blog comments I have received in the last week or so that said Kevin Sumlin wouldn’t be hired at Texas A&M because he is black and how many that said he would be hired there solely because he is black.

It’s funnier that in all the discussion with college athletic directors and coaches over the past few years, not a one brought up race when discussing Sumlin.

Yes, he is black. And while that makes this a historic hiring, his race isn’t a significant factor.

Kevin Sumlin was hired at A&M because he is a darn good coach with an excellent track record.

He should do well at A&M. Period.

Why? Because he has done a great job everywhere he has been.

As the late, great Ralph Wiley once told me, keep doing well and you will do well. I have no doubts that Sumlin will keep doing well.

Sumlin, who has an excellent reputation among Texas high school coaches, will help A&M challenge Texas and Oklahoma for top recruits in the state. Players like him. He understands today’s players and gets this generation.

Don’t take that to mean he is buddy, buddy, or soft with players. The opposite is the case.

Sumlin’s teams will be disciplined. Check the statistics on penalties for Houston and Texas A&M in recent years. Amazing that under Mike Sherman, a former NFL coach who we thought would bring a level of professionalism, the Aggies were always near the bottom of the country in penalties committed. Sumlin’s teams play smarter than that.

Sumlin’s teams play hard and are always in superb physical condition. It had to be embarrassing for the home of the Junction Boys to hear an opposing coach say that his squad was in better condition than the Aggies, who tired in the second half as they blew a halftime lead.

The most overrated point of discussion is that Sumlin has no experience in the SEC. As if SEC football has first-and-11s instead of first-and-10s. Give me a break.

Nick Saban didn’t have any SEC experience when he rolled into LSU in 2000. The Mad Hatter had never been in the SEC when took over for Saban in 2005. Urban Meyer had never coached a game in the league when he began his dominant tenure at Florida that same year.

Football is football.

The best college football in the country is played in the SEC because the SEC has the best talent. Sumlin will be successful in that league if he gets the talent. No he couldn’t win in the SEC with UH’s talent. Duh. A&M has better talent than UH and goes into different households to recruit.

Will Sumlin win championships in the SEC?

Oh, I’m not crazy enough to predict that. It won’t be easy. But you can bet Sumlin isn’t daunted by the task.

Good football coaches are confident in what they do. And Sumlin is a good football coach.

I keep hearing that some Aggies are not overly excited with the hire. That’s all right.